Apple Planning New Tokyo Store, iPad Also on Tap for Next Month?

While Apple already has a retail store in Tokyo, Japan, a new report claims a second store could join it in the months ahead -- and also suggests that the company may indeed unveil a new iPad alongside its new iPhone.

Bloomberg reported Wednesday that Apple appears to be moving forward on plans for a second retail store in Tokyo, which sources claim will be built in the trendy Omotesando shopping district and could debut "as early as March."

Apple opened its first Tokyo store in August, 2005 and is said to be advertising jobs for a new store in the same city. According to one analyst, Apple could benefit from a larger Japanese presence once it shores up partnerships with mobile carriers in the country.

“For Apple, the Japanese market is appealing in terms of quantity and price,” explained Satoru Kikuchi of SMBC Nikko Securities Inc. “There is a room to expand tablet sales and a possibility the Japanese market expands if Apple’s mobile carrier partners increase.”

Japan's largest carrier, NTT DoCoMo, has thus far rejected the iPhone, presumably because the company has its own mobile marketplace called DMarket that competes directly with iTunes.

The Bloomberg piece also includes a curious bit of wording related to the rumored Apple media event next month, which is said to take place on September 10:

"The Cupertino, California-based company plans to introduce new versions of its phone and tablet at a Sept. 10 event, a person familiar with the matter has said," which marks the first such high-profile confirmation that a new iPad could be introduced alongside the latest iPhone. [UPDATE]: The word "tablet" has been removed from Bloomberg's original story.